UK to Have Superfastest Broadband in Europe by 2015, Says Hopeful Minister

The UK's roll-out of "superfast" broadband will see us boasting of having the fastest broadband in all of Europe in 2015, as the next-gen fibre cabinets boost our averages to unprecedented levels.

Jeremy Hunt, the government's culture secretary, made the claim at an event around London's Silicon Roundabout web tech hotspot, telling attendees: "I am today announcing an ambition to be not just the best overall, but specifically the fastest broadband of any major European country."

"Getting the plumbing right for our digital economy is not just an advantage to consumers – it is also essential for our digital and creative industries, all of whom need reliable high-speed networks to develop and export their products as they move large digital files around the world."

The government wants 90 per cent of the country to have "superfast" connections of 24Mbps or more by 2015, with the remaining 10 per cent on the basic minimum broadband speed of 2Mbps. So we'll still be a two-speed internet country peppered with slow rural lines, even if the headline averages are inflated by those in the fastest sweet spots. [Guardian via BBC]